Study Guide
Note: If you think a particular question will probably be on the test use the text tools to underline the entire question. Questions Lecture 01: Introduction 1. Today we all live a media life. Academics approach the notion of understanding the relationship between the social (life) and the technology (media) in different ways. Some argue that technology is all-powerful; that it shapes our society. Others argue that it is society (or: the social) which shapes technology. Perhaps both are wrong, and the right answer is something else. What perspective would you choose? Defend your choice with an example from your own media use. Both; we create the artifacts (media technologies-televisions, cell phones) to perform our desired activities (TV watching, calling/texting) and in turn shape our societal arrangements around these artifacts/activities (family gathers around TV, all our social relationships/arrangements become managed through constant phone calls/texting).-D.J. Mentser 2. As screen-based media become increasing prevalent in todays society, scholars have begun considering the potential positive and negative effects of such a transition. What do you think could be a positive effect of a shift from print to screen media be? We can now have faster news updates (instant transfer of information) instead of waiting for the next day to receive news items.-D.J. Mentser 3. As screen-based media become increasing prevalent in todays society, scholars have begun considering the potential positive and negative effects of such a transition. What do you think could be a negative effect of a shift from print to screen media be? If our internet/cell phone/cable connection goes out, we cannot access our news.-D.J. Mentser We need to purchase and upgrade expensive technologies (TVs, new cell phones, new computers) to keep up with news media, instead of just ordering a paper.-D.J. Mentser 4. From what we know about how people (especially teens) use media, our estimations of the hours that we report we spend engaging with media are dramatically less than the actual amount of time we spend with media. Name media usage trends that explain this discrepancy. We are ALWAYS using media- we're constantly getting texts/phone calls even when we don't open our phones, ALL our lectures are on screens (Power Point/Excel/TV) and we do almost all homework on computers.-D.J. Mentser 5. People often argue that today's youth are so absorbed with using different types of media, such as television and video games, that they are losing touch with reality. Some respond to this allegation arguing that media users are more in touch with reality than ever before. In your opinion, how could someone successfully make the argument that today's youth is more aware of social realities than previous generations? Social networks/Web 2.0 reflect and shape our social and familial relationships-if we're on Facebook, we're likely talking to an acquaintance to whom we might not have spoken otherwise/we're using websites/web services to find spouses and make friends (media impacts reality).-D.J. Mentser 6. One of the key arguments of T101 is that living a media life equals living inside your own Truman Show. In the movie, Truman decides to escape. Why does Truman leave? Would you? Truman escapes because he wants to live a "Real" life in private. We know that we all live mediated lives in public. We cannot escape; media are pervasive and ubiqitous. Everyone is watching us (cell phones, cameras, surveillance, dataveillance, social networking) and we watch everyone, and these mediated experiences shape our perceptions of reality and our perceptions of others.-D.J. Mentser 7. Almost every student in T101 has a cellphone with a built-in digital camera, and most upload pictures of themselves and others to websites such as Flickr, Photobucket and Facebook. This means that in a media life we are not just under surveillance of corporations or the government, but also from each other. What do you think will be the future end-result of this trend of everybody watching everyone else? Everyone's behavior is changing; example-we hold up or hide red cups at parties because we want to be tagged or to not be tagged in Facebook photos. We agonize over our Facebook lives to make them look "clean" to appeal to others (i.e. potential employers). Eventually, all of our behaviors and interactions with others will become moderated by the constant knowledge that we live in public and any moment of our lives can and likely will be broadcast over the internet.-D.J. Mentser Questions Lecture 02: Media Life 8. Media are pervasive and ubiquitous. Briefly explain what these terms mean, each time using an example of your own media use. 9. Consider media in your every day life. Give a specific example of each instance in which the media that you use and the way you use them are: a. pervasive; b. ubiquitous; c. remixed. 10. Videoclips from movies such as Babylon A.D., Children of Men and Minority Report (and before those, Blade Runner) offer a vision of a near-by future where media saturate the world. What kind of vision on a media life do such movie portray? 11. What does the notion of «anytime, anyplace, anywhere» (a slogan of a famous 1980s advertising campaign for the Martini brand) refer in a context of the use of media? 12. The Middletown Media Studies show that people’s use of the Web, e-mail and phones is substantially higher on Fridays than any other day of the week. Explain why this is the case. 13. You are a media consultant and your client has asked you to suggest different methods of measuring media use. Applying your newfound knowledge from T101, what methods (name at least three) would you suggest, and which of those would you actually recommend because it would be most accurate? 14. Briefly explain the key difference between people’s concurrent media exposure and the notion of media multitasking. 15. One undergraduate student in the ECAR study of how US college students use internet is quoted as saying that it is a part of life: “It’s a lifestyle.” Considering the dominant way students access internet, what would you say is a key component to this media lifestyle? Questions Lecture 03: Media History 16. To demonstrate the dynamic between a utopian and dystopian view on media, the very first Star Trek movie can be considered. In what way does this movie (and all the other films and TV shows in this long-running franchise) resemble a distinctly utopian view on media? 17. Should we examine the emergence of media and technology from either a utopian or dystopian point of view? Why or why not? 18. Consider popular online media such as Youtube or Facebook. Choose one and compare and contrast the utopian and dystopian views people may have on the role such media play in our lives. 19. Before the advent of the computer we used to refer to printed encyclopedias (Encyclopedia Britannica) but now we use those on the internet (Wikipedia). This is an example of remediation. Briefly explain in your own words what this remediation of the encyclopedia has brought about. 20. Think for a moment about the future of the newspaper (both online and 4 offline) using the concept of remediation. Now briefly explain what is “new” about today’s printed newspaper, and what is “old” about its online version. 21. Give an example of the way media remediate each other. 22. Please explain what a technomyopic view on media life would be. 23. From the history of media (such as summarized on the Media History Project website), we can deduct a couple of key trends that would help us predict the characteristics of future media devices. One of these trends is the shift towards screen-based media. What are other key trends (name at least four) throughout the history of media? 24. When considering the history of media, we can look at a lot of crucial moments in time and indentify the general trends leading towards today’s media. Briefly describe one or two of these general trends in media history that would explain the kind of media we now use every day. 25. Considering the key characteristics of contemporary media devices (or: artifacts), what do most of these new media have in common? Mention at least three characteristics. Questions Lecture 04: Media Artifacts 26. What would you say is the key difference between the infrastructure of the internet as it has operated since the late 1960s, and the currently emerging peerto- peer networks? 27. The current buzz-term in the media world about internet is “Web 2.0”, which is a way to describe the internet that can be illustrated by looking at the logos of new media companies. What is Web 2.0? 28. What is the key difference between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0? 29. What is Web 3.0? 30. The Sky Commander 1000 remote control is one of a number of media artifacts marketed primarily towards men in the past. Using a clear example, briefly describe another device marketed in this manner – in the present. 31. What media artifacts do you carry on your person on a regular basis? How does this make you living the media life? 32. In T101 we discuss the differences between the Web 1.0 world of the 1990s, the Web 2.0 world of today, and the emerging Web 3.0 digital culture. Give two (2) examples of how your media use is representative of a Web 2.0 world. 33. A review of four key inventions in 20th century media history includes the first remote control, the VCR, the joystick, and the computer mouse. What 5 common characteristic of these four inventions has defined the path to today’s media environment? 34. The remote control, the joystick, the computer mouse and the VCR - what did these crucial inventions bring to media users? 35. In class, we discussed four media devices that put consumers in at least some control of their media consumption. Identify at least one of these and explain how it gave power back to the consumer. 36. As screen-based media become increasing prevalent in todays society, scholars have begun considering the potential positive and negative effects of such a transition. What do you think could be a positive effect of a shift from print to screen media be? 37. As screen-based media become increasing prevalent in todays society, scholars have begun considering the potential positive and negative effects of such a transition. What do you think could be a negative effect of a shift from print to screen media be? 38. Using your lecture notes and T101 readings, try to explain (briefly) why screen-based media (such as videogames and TV) are so much more popular than newspapers, magazines and books these days. 39. What is the Black Box Fallacy? 40. In the reading by Leah Lievrouw and Sonia Livingstone, they make the argument that when studying new media, a major innovation is a move away from a linear relationship between media and life (looking at the effects or impacts of media on audiences) towards looking at media and life as dynamically interrelated. Using your knowledge about (the history of) media artefacts, why are today's media less likely to have mass effects on people's lives? 41. In the reading by Leah Lievrouw and Sonia Livingstone, a key point is made regarding the shift of perspective from realitvely orderly «mass media» in «mass society» to a more messy view that emphasizes networks, relations, and dynamics. What kind of media artefact is the ultimate example of a «mass media» perspective, and what kind of artefact is the perfect example of «network» point of view? 42. Based on the reading by Leah Lievrouw and Sonia Livingstone, do you think the Terminator movie series – where an artificially intelligent machine network seeks to destroy humankind after it achieves consciousness – is an example of technological determinism or social determinism? Questions Lecture 05: Media Activities 43. What kind of media usage behavior was targeted in the four major technological inventions of early media history? 44. Considering the key characteristics of the way we use contemporary media devices, what do most of these activities have in common? Mention at least three characteristics. 45. In a media life, the boundaries between people producing and those consuming media are blurred. Give an example of how media companies in the news industry are adapting to this new reality. 46. In a media life, the boundaries between people producing and those consuming media are blurred. Give an example of how media companies in the advertising industry are adapting to this new reality. 47. In a media life, the boundaries between people producing and those consuming media are blurred. Give an example of how media companies in the television entertainment industry are adapting to this new reality. 48. In the reading by Leah Lievrouw and Sonia Livingstone, they argue that most of our new media use can be analyzed using the concept of recombination: «the continious hybridization of both existing technologies and innovations in interconnected technical and institutional networks.» They use weblogs, texting, and multi-user games as examples. Come up with at least one other example, and briefly describe how exactly it can be seen as an instance of recombined media. 49. Why, according to the reading by Leah Lievrouw and Sonia Livingstone, is it better to talk about humans and the way they use (new) media as «people», rather than «audience, users, and consumers»? Hint: use your own use of social networking sites like Facebook as an example. Questions Lecture 06: Media Arrangements 50. Given the rising trend of “gated communities” as a way to live in countries such as the US, South Africa, and Brazil, how might you explain the rapid global growth in usage of social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and Bebo? 51. New media technologies force advertisers to find new ways to reach potential customers. Instead of mass media (TV commercials, magazine spreads) they now increasingly have to rely on interactive media. Give three examples of possible new avenues for advertising. 52. Considering the way contemporary media devices fit in already existing social arrangements (at work, in school, in relationships with friends or family members), what do most of these arrangements have in common? Mention at least three characteristics. 53. A big technology story in 2007 was the introduction of Apple’s iPhone. In T101, we study media as artifacts, as activities, and as arrangements. Briefly describe the iPhone using these three dimensions of new media? 54. A big technology story in 2008 was the market dominance of the video game console Nintendo Wii. In T101, we study media as artifacts, as activities, and as arrangements. Briefly describe the Wii using these three dimensions of new media? 55. A big technology story in 2009 has been the introduction of Microsoft's new search engine Bing. In T101, we study media as artifacts, as activities, and as arrangements. Briefly describe Bing using these three dimensions of new media? 56. Social networking and micro-publishing site Twitter continues to make headlines. In T101, we study technologies as artifacts, as arrangements and as activities. Briefly describe Twitter using these three dimensions of new media. 57. Based on (and using) what you know about current media trends predict the next “big” thing in the media – what will most likely the media artifact, activity or arrangement of the near future? 58. The media today both isolate and connect – often at the same time. Give a clear example of a situation from your own media use that explains what this means. Questions Lecture 07: Media Recording 59. The researchers of Microsofts’ MyLifeBits project claim: “Having a surrogate memory creates a freeing, uplifting, and secure feeling.” What are some potential positive results of the project? Negative results? Be brief and concise in your answers. 60. Briefly explain the important difference between surveillance and dataveillance. 61. New media marketing guru Seth Godin says: “The internet doesn’t forget. And sooner or later, the internet finds out.” Using Facebook as an example, how is this quote relevant to your life? 62. Considering as an example the infamous World of Warcraft funeral raid video, briefly explain how our beliefs and values make their way into the media we use. 63. Now the internet has moved into all media artifacts, activities and arrangements, none of our behavior (in mediated environments) is secret anymore. Briefly explain why this can be considered a positive or negative development for society. 64. A key insight from thinking about media life is the notion, that the traditional boundaries between “public” and “private” have been erased. Give a clear example from your own media use that shows this. 65. What is your digital shadow? 66. Considering the concept of a “digital shadow” in media life, and how everything we do is recorded online, give two examples of ways your actions are recorded online outside of Facebook, MySpace, and other social networking sites? 67. In T101 we study how people represent themselves online – on their Facebook profiles, but also as their avatars in online games and virtual worlds. What is a crucial conclusion we can draw about the effect of the way we represent ourselves online? 68. Many adults argue that today's youth are so absorbed with using different types of media, such as television and video games, that they are losing touch with reality. Many respond to this allegation arguing that media users are more in touch with reality than ever before. In your opinion, why could someone make the argument that today's youth are more aware of social realities than previous generations? Questions Lecture 08: Media Storage 69. A media life can to some extent be characterized by a state of living with an information surplus, as opposed to a state of information scarcity in the past. briefly explain in your own words what this means. Include in your explanation an example from your own use of information. 70. In media life, there seems to be more of everything, and everything seems to be accelerating. To manage and cope with all this information and these (mediated) experiences, scholars have been thinking for decades about a “superdevice” to store and forward all the information in your life: the Memex in 1945, the Apple Knowledge Navigator in 1988, the Microsoft Surface in 2006. What do all these devices have in common (mention at least three characteristics)? 71. The MyLifeBits project allows people to store all their life’s experiences digitally. Although our brain stores everything too, it is hard to remember everything correctly and establish meaningful connections between all our memories. Software may solve this problem using metadata. What are metadata? 72. A crucial element in coping with a media life is your own sense of ethics: what can I publish (about myself or others), what information should you not use, what to record and what to discard. Comparing how you interact with your friends “offline”, and what you do with them online (on Facebook or MySpace for example), what key differences can you see in how you or your friends behave towards each other? 73. In T101 we argue that living a media life means coming to terms with the blurring of all kinds of boundaries. A crucial boundary in that context is the one between your private life and your public life. Give at least three examples other than Facebook or MySpace of your own media behavior and usage that contribute to blurring the public/private boundary in your life. 74. Since we live in a surveillance society (where everything we do is monitored and where we monitor the people around us), what possible way can you protect your privacy or is it no longer worth the effort? why? 75. Your IU university ID (CampusAccess) card is an example of dataveillance, to which you willingly collaborate. Give at least three other examples of how you voluntarily give way your personal information to companies and institutions. 76. Many users are storing information on the internet and not on their local hard drive. This is called cloud computing. How are you using cloud computing now and how do you predict it will be used in the future? 77. The trend towards digital TV, larger-than-life screens, home theater PC’s, and HD-DVD (or Blu-Ray) can be correlated to a similar development in architecture towards increasingly enclosed, walled-off, gated communities. This is a direct link between a trend in media, and a trend in everyday life. Briefly explain in your own words what the link between these two trends is. 78. The trend towards mobile, networked, wireless and converged technologies can be correlated to a development in fashion towards “wearable” media. This is a direct link between a trend in media, and a trend in everyday life. Briefly explain in your own words what the link between these two trends is. Questions Lecture 09: Media Access 79. What is the digital divide and why do we talk about it in T101? 80. What is the participation gap and why do we talk about it in T101? 81. Education is a crucial predictor of internet access and use: true or false? 82. Gender is a crucial predictor of internet access and use: true or false? 83. Race is a crucial predictor of internet access and use: true or false? 84. Income is a crucial predictor of internet access and use: true or false? 85. Studies on Internet use suggested that men and women use the Web in distinct ways. According to such research, which of the following statements do you think are true: (a) Men use the Web more than women. (b) Women access entertainment sites more than men. © Men are more likely to use YouTube than women. (d) Women are less likely to access blogs than men. (e) None of the above because people are all the same. 86. Explain in your own words what the difference is between the digital divide (see the reading by Van Dijk) and the participation gap (consider the reading by Jenkins). 87. Give at least two (2) examples of how you have experienced, in high school or in your time at IU, some kind of participation gap between how you (can) use media, and how the school or university is expecting you to use media. 88. What is (according to the lectures and the reading by Dutch academic Jan van Dijk) the most important conclusion we can draw about all the literature and science on the so-called “Digital Divide” in our society? Hint: it underscores the fundamental premise of the T101 Media Life course. 89. What is (according to the lectures and the reading by USC professor Henry Jenkins) the so-called «ethics challenge» of today's participatory media culture? Questions Lecture 10: Media Control 90. What is the difference between "Copyright" and "Copyleft"? 91. Regarding copyright legislation, media industries are backed into a corner: on the one hand they would like consumers to be able to freely use their content, on the other hand they want to prevent the free exchange of content. Let’s assume you are the CEO of a major media corporation such as Sony or Time Warner. What would you do to solve this dilemma? 92. What is the “Pirate’s dilemma” and how does it influence your day-to-day media use? 93. Why, according to the reading by Suw Charman and Michael Holloway, is collaboration (like on Wikipedia) such a big problem for the way copyrights work? 94. What would you say is the key difference between copyright and the intitiative by a group of US lawyers and academics called Creative Commons? (hint: the reading by Suw Charman and Michael Holloway talks about Copyright in terms of “all rights reserved” versus the “some rights reserved” slogan of a Creative Commons license). Questions Lecture 11: Digital Economy 95. The Pareto principle is an economic principle of proportion that provides the basis for business practices throughout the media industries. It for example explains why blockbuster movies are so crucial in the film industry, or why big hits are so important in the music industry. The effect of this Pareto Principle can be considered good or bad for the economy. Using an example from your own experience, why can the effect of the Pareto Principle be considered good? 96. What is the difference between the concept “you know about the brand” and “the brand knows about you”, and how does this difference explain the history of advertising? 97. In economic terms, the media industry is, increasingly, an industry of market niches. Please provide a relevant example which illustrates this point. 99. What is a possible outcome of increased audience fragmentation? In your answer, explain why this is a good or bad thing. 100. In class and in T101 readings, we discuss a shift in economics from the Pareto Principle to the Long Tail principle. One example of this economic shift is the difference between Blockbuster and Netflix. Using a different example, explain the difference between the Pareto Principle and the Long Tail principle. 101. In what ways have modern network and cable television programs like South Park and Law & Order adopted a model of reflexive production? 102. The currently emerging worldwide personal information economy works on the basis of a market of so-called glass consumers. What are glass consumers? 103. What makes you a «Glass Consumer»? Give at least three (3) examples. 104. Give at least five (5) different, concrete examples of how you contribute to the personal information economy. 105. The ethical dilemma in a personal information economy is the issue of sophisticated customer profiling (enabling personalized target marketing) versus …? 106. In the new media economy there is a strange paradox: the so-called productivity paradox between investments in computers/technologies and the actual output of workers. Briefly explain what this paradox is. Questions Lecture 12: Democracy 107. You can do (at least) three things in terms of a digital democracy: obtaining political information, engaging in political deliberation, and…? Give at least one example of one of these political activities online. 108. After some deep thinking, you have decided both the government, the house of representatives and the senate are taking the hunt for UFOs far too lightly. Give two examples of ways you might use new media to stay politically active and briefly explain how digital democracy might be a perfect fit for you. 109. In the lecture on digital democracy, we looked at ways in which people these days enact their role as citizens online. How do you see this shift from citizenship offline (participating in town hall meetings, running for office, voting) to citizenship online a good thing for our democracy? 110. In the lecture on digital democracy, we look at ways in which people these days enact their role as citizens online. How do you see this shift from citizenship offline (participating in town hall meetings, running for office, voting) to citizenship online a bad thing for our democracy? 111. In the lecture on digital democracy, we look at how online communities have bridging and bonding effects. A conclusion we can draw: when groups of people debate online they behave a bit like the universe does: they come together and drift apart at the same time. Briefly explain what this means. 112. Politicians and academics alike think that digital democracy or «Edemocracy » will get young people back to the voting booth. Give a clear definition of digital democracy. 113. Considering what you know about how internet is used and what it takes to use it, briefly argue in favor or against democracy moving completely online (for example as in: voting with your cell phone, getting information about politics directly via texts or tweets). Questions Lecture 13: Society 114. In class (and in the reading by Barry Wellman) we discuss three models of society in the context of media. List each of them and explain them. 115. Barry Wellman argues that society is moving from communities that interact on the basis of door-to-door via place-to-place to person-to-person sociability. Briefly explain the characteristics of a door-to-door (Wellman uses the term: «little boxes») community. 116. Barry Wellman argues that society is moving from communities that interact on the basis of door-to-door via place-to-place to person-to-person sociability. Briefly explain the characteristics of a place-to-place (Wellman uses the term: «glocal») community. 117. Barry Wellman argues that society is moving from communities that interact on the basis of door-to-door via place-to-place to person-to-person sociability. Briefly explain the characteristics of a door-to-door (Wellman uses the term: «networked individualism») community. 118. Canadian scholar Barry Wellman suggests in his work that the skills we need to be part of a community in the information age are different from the past, signaling a shift from «social capital» to «network capital». Using an example from your own media use, how would you describe this shift in skills? 119. Polish philosopher Zygmunt Bauman argues that networked individualism and person-to-person online communication are not forms of real community, because online networks come with what he calls «disconnection on demand» devices. Briefly describe in your own words what you think this means and include an example of website such as Facebook or MySpace in your answer. 120. People are increasingly less likely to lead a traditional family life, yet a 2006 survey by the Pew Research Center shows we have more contact with family members than generations before us did, and that most people rate the quality of their family life as better than ever. Briefly explain how this is possible. 121. Briefly explain why in T101 we claim that the IU campus is a good example of glocalization. 122. Famous British scholar Anthony Giddens has said that we are experiencing a «democratization» of the emotions in everyday life. How can your Facebook status be considered an example of what he claimed? 123. How does online matchmaking and online dating contribute to a «detraditionalization» of intimacy, privacy, love and sexuality? 124. How are online matchmaking and online dating sites examples of social isolation and social networking at the same time? 125. Especially online it is becoming increasingly simple to disconnect love from sex in media life. What does this mean (hint: try to think about an example related to cell phones or internet)?